Glow (Sky Chasers, #1)

Glow (Sky Chasers #1)

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3.56 of 5 stars 3.56  ·  rating details  ·  6,310 ratings  ·  1,491 reviews
A ship heading for New Earth is halfway through its incredible journey across the galaxy. On board, sixteen-year-olds Waverly and Kieran are part of the first generation born in space. They are in love. They believe their future is written in the stars. They have never seen a stranger before...

...until the day they are wrenched apart and suddenly find themselves fighting f...more
Paperback, 307 pages
Published October 1st 2011 by Pan Macmillan Australia (first published September 13th 2011)
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Raeleen
WELL IT'S SAFE TO SAY I'M EXCITED TO READ THIS


PRETTY AWESOME, I MUST SAY.

Here's my video review! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJqkrW...
Phoebe
Atmospheric Analysis: I wasn’t too fond of Glow‘s stark, subtle cover at first, thanks in particular to the obvious stock image of the girl in the porthole that forms the letter “O.” But in reading, it grew on me–it captures the book’s darkness and claustrophobia well.

The American cover is a huge improvement over the UK version, which features a cartoonishly photoshopped face. I mean, how big is that girl’s forehead? What happened to her chin?! Cool idea (and I dig the font embellishment), awful...more
Sita Sargeant
I have been trying to gather my thoughts on this book. So it has been written over a few nights (not just one) so be warned when reading this review. It may not make any sense.

HOLY SHIT! No other words. This book was that amazing, this has got to be, hands down one of the best dystopia novels that I’ve read in ages. I’m still trying to gather my thoughts; I am just blown away by the amazingness of this book.

I actually put off reading this for a while. I mean I had it; I just wasn’t bothered to...more
Bern
Full Disclosure: This book was given to me on a GR giveaway. So thanks GR!

I honestly didn't expect this. I really didn't. On the back of the book, it's written in huge letters that this is the most riveting series since Hunger Games, and that's not true in the least.

This book beats Hunger Games to a bloody, motionless pulp laying on the ground with its limbs positioned in odd, wrong angles. I mean it. I does.

Glow (don't let the cutesy name fool you, there's craziness to go around in this book) s...more
Maja
I rated Glow somewhat higher than I normally rate this type of books, due solely to the incredibly strong emotional impact it had on me. Some of the characters in it might prove forgettable in time, but I will never forget the pressing, claustrophobic feeling it left me with.
I’ve read a few reviews in advance and I was prepared to be unsettled by it, but nothing could prepare me for this story in which people, every last one of them, were monsters, usually hidden behind a very pleasant façade....more
Hayden Casey
I graciously received GLOW from a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway, and the book was provided by the publishers, St. Martin's Press! Thank you all for this wonderful opportunity!

Actually, this is closer to three-and-a-half stars, but I don't do half stars, so it's four.

There are some books out there that are completely clear in their intentions, whose characters are completely either good or evil, whose plot is simple enough to be easily understood. Let me tell you know that GLOW is not one of t...more
Christy  (Love of Books)
Here's the thing, the books that I absolutely LOVE the most tend to be the hardest for me to write about or discuss. Glow is no exception to this, but I'll do my best. And I'm just going to admit it - this is now a favorite of mine.

First of all, I hate comparing books to one another, especially those by different authors. But I am going to compare something about Glow to The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins knows how to end a chapter, meaning they ended in a way that made me want -no, more like nee...more
Lissa
Holy Effing Shite I don't even know where to begin. This book is being compared to The Hunger Games but lucky me, I haven't read that book yet so I could approach Glow completely impartial. And just to let everyone know beforehand, I myself wrote and published a sci-fi novel set on a travelling space ship just this month. So I'm all up on the whole sci-fi thing. I don't get people who don't like it as a genre. I freaking grew up reading that shit, and although recently I've been reading more fan...more
Mandee
I hadn’t heard much about Glow until I requested Spark and realised it was the sequel. I don’t read a lot of sci-fi or books set in space but I decided to give it a go, despite the mixed reviews I’d read.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan is the first book in the Sky Chasers series. Waverly and Kieran were born aboard the Empyrean, a space ship that left Earth forty two years ago, bound for New Earth. Another ship, New Horizons, left a year before their ship and should be way ahead of them but for the pa...more
Stacey (prettybooks)
Glow captured my interest from the very first page. It’s the sort of book that will make you miss your stop if you’re reading it on public transport (always a sign of a good novel, I think). I’ve never read anything quite this science fiction-y before; I’ve never, ever read anything that takes place on a spaceship. I had wondered whether I’d find it difficult to believe but I was thoroughly impressed. The spaceship setup is stunning. It is very well constructed and detailed, and I could easily i...more
Kimberly
This book is not perfect - there were a couple of places that were sparse and could have done with a bit more fleshing out. The book is fairly short so it wouldn't have made it too long.

But, this book is nearly perfect otherwise. An original, twisty plot (yes, there are similarities with other books, but Ryan has done something really unique with old tropes), two marvelously compelling characters, and a lot to say about human nature.

It was painful to read at times, but that's because Ryan is su...more
Ashleigh Paige

See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten!

Another sci-fi book. For some reason, I keep picking them up despite my apathy for the genre. Perhaps I was hoping Glow would be the one to really impress me and make me like sci-fi. (Or maybe I was reading it solely because an ARC of its sequel was coming. Yeah, that sounds right.) The plot grabbed me and didn't let go, but in all honesty, I can't respect a sci-fi novel that grossly violates Newton's first law of motion.

To be fair, Glow started off with a...more
☆Jessie☆  (Ageless Pages Reviews)
Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog

Glow is set in the semi-distant future, when mysterious circumstances have made "Old" Earth practically unlivable and humans can barely survive, much less thrive. In order to save the species, two inter-galactic ships, The New Horizon and the Empyrean are the only hope of the colonists and Earth to cross the galaxy to find, settle and repopulate a new home. One ship, the New Horizon, consisting of the more religious/Christian settlers and left a year...more
Isamlq
2.5/5

GLOW is dark.

Glow is so very unexpectedly dark, but that aspect only really kicked into gear sometime around 61% Frankly, I am not a fan of the writing in this one; things just took too much time. However, it's the twists and turns that had me covering my mouth in shock/ repulsion.

While sixty plus percent was a lot to go through before things got interesting, I have to emphasize just how dark things got. There are people isolated, people drugged and violated... all acts done because of some...more
Alexa
May 11, 2012 Alexa marked it as didnt-finish  ·  review of another edition
Just won a copy through GoodRreads. Can't wait to read it!

edit: So I started Glow, and it's pretty interesting. Better than expected. :) But I think I started it at the wrong time. So, I'm going to put it on hold for now because I have other books I want to get to first & I don't believe I'm in the mood to read an ARC right now. I hope to continue it in a few weeks.
Mary
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan is another dystopia YA novel that is promoted as the next Hunger Games but this is a bit of a stretch. They are both YA dystopia novels with young people resisting cruel authority, and of course, there is the love triangle. Using the comparing books analogy, I say it is Lord of the Flies meets The Handmaid's Tale.

Two ships of colonists leave Earth for a better life among the stars. There is much we don't know about the how and why these colonists were chosen to leave b...more
Trudi
Oh, why did I believe the lie that this book could possibly be like The Hunger Games? With a cliff hanger at every chapter, and a love triangle that had you holding your breath? No! It's all lies I tell you! *feels betrayed*. I say the truth, right on the back of the book, it says so. In all caps may I add.
Maybe if that stupid statement on the back hadn't been there, maybe, just maybe, I would of given it more of a chance...but, sadly, without The Hunger Games on the back of the cover, enticing...more
Nancy
This is a difficult review to write. I am certain this book will be controversial and an intriguing work for book clubs. Rarely does an author engage so much of the reader's cerebral cortex in Young Adult Literature. Which really makes it that much more enjoyable to read a book steeped in so much philosophy and symbolism. On the other hand, the depth is not so immense that a reader could not just ignore the philosophy and symbolism and simply enjoy a good book.

Really you have four parts of the...more
Arlene
Oct 06, 2011 Arlene rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Arlene by: Street Corner Booker - ARC Tour Flannery
I’m not quite sure how to rate this book so for now I’m going with 3 nebulous stars.

Glow is a futuristic SciFi thriller set deep in space where two colony spaceships, the New Horizon and the Empyrean, search for New Earth. These competing sister spaceships engage in a galactic battle against each other as they try to ensure their survival. Aboard the Empyrean, Waverly and Kieran are separated during this war and become tangled in a web of lies and deceit ultimately having them question who they...more
Abby
Before I start this review, be warned. I read Insurgent AND The Princess Bride (two books which I consider masterpieces) right before this book, therefore this review may be a little harsh. But I believe this book warrants some harshness.

1. Intelligent and Heroic Heroine: NOPE
Sure, Waverly supposedly fulfills the new trend in YA, which is intense, kick-butt, troubled heroines, but I didn't get that from her. The depth needed to pull that off just wasn't there. I couldn't and didn't connect with...more
Rachel Hartman
2.5 stars.

All right, I'm not getting anything else done, and a nap seems to be eluding me, so here goes.

I had a devilish hard time reading this book. I just couldn't connect with the writing at all. I found it extremely dry and explain-y, and my mind would wander any time there wasn't dialogue. Which was, ah, most of the time.

Now I have to say: I think this is my fault too, and not just the book's. Sometimes a writing style just doesn't connect with my thinking style, and that isn't anybody's fa...more
Goldengirl
So here’s the thing about GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan: for the first 200 pages it kind of blows. And then a weird thing happens in the last 100 pages and it becomes a pretty fun read. I know that’s confusing but that was my experience with it.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Here’s the gist of the story:

Kieran and Waverly are two teens in love on the Empyrean, a spaceship bound for a New Earth. Pretty soon after the story begins a sister spaceship, the New Horizon, stages a coup on the Empy...more
Meg
Amy Kathleen Ryan’s Glow is a fast-paced, energetic and stomach-plummeting ride through the galaxy that dragged me into its orbit and refused to let me go. I was finished with this book before I even looked up, gobbling the entire story before I even realized I was reaching the end.

Glow, the first in a new series, is being likened to The Hunger Games -— a novel I read years ago and loved. While I don’t think Glow has the emotional punch of Suzanne Collins’ stellar series, I can definitely see th...more
ALPHAreader
The Empyrean is one of two space ships headed for New Earth. Their mission is to repopulate the human race and begin a prosperous new planet. They have been travelling for years, and the first generation of children to be born in space are entering their late-teens, and are almost ready to start marrying and procreating.

Kieran and Waverley are just such a couple. Sixteen-year-old Kiernan is the ship’s ‘golden boy’ – the first baby born after years of infertility; he is the product of intense gen...more
Patti Loves FAB Romance
Earth is quickly reaching it's expiration date, and two ships have been sent to repopulate another planet many light years away. Waverly and Kieran are the oldest of the first generation of children to be born on the Empyrian after many years of infertility, and as such are expected to marry and procreate soon. While Kieran is completely on board with this, Waverly is not so sure this is the direction she wants her life to take.

As the story opens, Waverly and Kieran are looking out the window of...more
Emily (Book Jems)
As seen on Ed and Em's Reviews!

1.5/5 Stars

Glow had one most interesting concepts I've ever heard of. A world based in the future, where people from the dying Earth send out two spaceships to see if they can survive and thrive in space and have a future rather than die out on Earth.

Glow tells the story of a young girl named Waverly, her boyfriend, Kieran and the attack on their spaceship home, the Empyrean. The attack is led by the twin spaceship called the New Horizon. Basically, everyone is inf...more
Krystal
http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.co...

This science fiction book will definitely catch the readers' interest. Glow is an interesting book, it addresses several odd issues that many people will never consider-for instance, if you are fertile, should you be required to provide eggs for non-fertile women? This book will require the reader to actually sit down, think, and digest the novel.



The main characters, Kieran and Waverly, act as guides for the reader throughout the novel. The book is told in...more
Melinda
I am only half way through this book, and simply cannot put it down. It's a young adult, and I would not normally pick it up, except a friend suggested I read it. It starts out so well, and just gets better and better. I finally had to put it down at 5 am to get enough sleep to finish it this morning! It's a Sunday morning, good thing, or otherwise I would be tempted to call in sick....:)
Priscilla Shine
This review was originally published on my blog, Nightly Reading (http://nightlyreading.wordpress.com/)


Review:

This book starts out sweet and we really fall in love with the characters immediately. And then they're separated. Lovely, right? And after that, well, you'll have to read it to find out (I really would love to add in spoilers with a warning, but I know how it feels to have no will power, so.. we shant). I will say that the characters show their true colors and you may or *may not* feel...more
Catherine
So this is the second of the library books I recently got out. I picked it up on a whim, and I'm still not entirely sure what I think it about it, so hopefully writing my thoughts down will help me make it clear in my head.

Glow is the story of two teenagers, Waverly and Kieran on spaceship heading towards New Earth. It's been travelling for 42 years, and has a twin ship a year ahead of them. Or, it was supposed to be, until they come across the ship in the nebula and basically all hell ensues....more
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Why do you think this book is called 'Glow'? 2 4 Jun 16, 2013 01:15pm  
Dipiction of Religion/Atheism and Morality in "Glow" 15 133 May 02, 2013 03:17pm  
Nothing but Readi...: Ryan, Amy Kathleen - Glow - Start Date July 22 78 40 Aug 01, 2012 09:08am  
ARC Giveaway of GLOW 1 32 Jan 02, 2012 09:05am  
Glow (Sky Chasers, #1)
Glow (Paperback)
Glow (Paperback)
Sternenfeuer: Gefährliche Lügen (Gebunden)
Glow (Audio CD)

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Amy Kathleen Ryan earned her MA from the University of Vermont, and her MFA from The New School in New York City.

Amy only reviews books she thinks are excellent.
More about Amy Kathleen Ryan...
Spark (Sky Chasers, #2) Vibes Zen and Xander Undone Shadow Falls Flame (Sky Chasers, #3)

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“You’re so naïve.” Felicity laughed scornfully. “Don’t you see what people are? They’re animals. Every one of them.”
“Felicity.” Waverly grabbed hold of the girl’s hand and squeezed hard enough to hurt, until Felicity lifted her eyes to Waverly’s. “We’re animals, too. We can fight back.”
Felicity yanked her hand away. “You idiot. It doesn’t matter how hard you fight.”
“It matters to me,” Waverly said quietly.
“So fight, then,” Felicity spat over her shoulder.
Waverly stood up, fists clenched. “I will.”
5 people liked it
“We do matter. To believe that our lives are meaningful is the essence of faith. We are not as large, or as bright, or as eternal as the stars, but we carry humankind's message of love across the galaxy. We are the first. We are the world makers. Our nourishment is hope. Like the tender reed shaking in the wind, we will reach up to a new sun.” 2 people liked it
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